Open in Crewe
- Prickly Peach Films
- Jun 20
- 2 min read
Working with Thrive Creative on their campaign for Cheshire East Council, celebrating the impact of the Repurposing Our High Street grant scheme.
The focus of the project was local businesses telling real stories, in their own words, about how the funding helped them transform empty high street spaces. Each video acted as a mini case study, aimed at encouraging other business owners to apply.
“The great thing about the team at Prickly is how they’ve become an extension of ours. What makes them our go-to to film crew for the Open in Crewe campaign? They’re dependable, responsive, adapt quickly to change and deliver great value production, every time, even on the little briefs.”
Dave Powell, Thrive Creative.
Camera setup
We went with tripod-based setups inside each business. It seems obvious, but there’s something simple and intentional about locked-off frames that works well when the focus is on people speaking openly, while the B-roll was shot on a slider to give some cinematic interest.
Piece to camera
Interviews were directed slightly off-camera (in conversation with us, rather than directly addressing the lens). This helped it feel less like a pitch, and created a space for the interviewees to chat more naturally while sharing their journey.
Use of slow-mo
We layered in 50fps B-roll throughout, showing the renovated shops in use, the owners at work, and details of the improvements. Slow motion naturally offers a bit of breathing space to take in the details of the renovations and paint a clear picture of the transformation.
Final delivery
Each business had their own standalone case study video, shared across social media and embedded on the Open in Crewe website for potential business owners to browse and draw inspiration from.
Working with Thrive always makes projects like this feel smooth. Their clarity on messaging and branding meant we could focus on pulling the best out of each contributor, to craft case studies that identified the real impact of the Repurposing Our High Street grant scheme.